Lacing-hook



Patented May 23 H. 0. WHYMAN.

LAClNG HOGK.

(Application filed July 28, 1898.)

(No Model.)

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UNTTED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HORATIO O. WHYMAN, OF AURORA, ILLINOIS.

LAOlNG-HOOK.

SPECIYFICATIOIF forming part 'of Letters Patent No. 625,483, dated. May 23, 1899.

Application filed July 28, 1898. Serial No. 687,130. (No modeli) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HORATIO OLIVER WHY- MAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Aurora, in the county of Kane and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Lacing-Hooks; and I do hereby declare the following to be afull, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to fastenings for boots and shoes or garments wherein a lacing is employed to hold confronting edges together; and the prime object of the invention is to overcome an objection heretofore existing to the use of the ordinary form of lacinghook in ladies slices-namely, that skirts are apt to catch upon the hooks, and, moreover, the rubbing of the skirts against the hooks wears away the enamel on the latter.

Other objects are to provide a form of fastening which will obviate a strain tending to press the portion of the hook-supportin g eyelet nearest the edge of the shoe inwardly and pull the outer port-ion of the eyelet outwardly and to provide for lacing with a fiat string without causing the same to be twisted or rolled up, as is the case with the ordinary form of hook, by reason of the fact that the edge of the fiat string works against the bend of the hook.

Vhile accomplishing the above objects, I also provide for convenient manipulation of the fastenings, so that the operation of lacing is not made more difficult than with the usual form of hook.

Moreover, my invention provides for conforming a shoe more closely to the shape of the foot, so that greater comfort and a neater fit is obtainable than with the usual form of fastenings.

In order to attain the above-stated objects, 1 construct the fastening so that when the shoe is laced up no portion of the fastening projects in a marked degree from the surface of the shoe, but all parts lie so flatly against the same as to offer no protuberance upon which a skirt can catch. At the same time the form of the hook with which the lace engages is such that the fiat side and not the edge of the lace draws on the hook.

\Vith the above-stated objects in view the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts, the essential elements of which are pointed out in the appended claims and preferred forms of embodiment of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and of which Figure 1 represents a ladys shoe in front elevation having fastenings of my invention applied thereto at the upper portions of the quarters. Fig. 2 represents one of the improved fasteners detached and shown in'plan on a greatly-enlarged scale as compared with Fig. 1, the hook appearing in the plane of the outer flange of the eyelet. Fig. 3 shows the fastening in cross-section, together with portions of the shoe-quarters. Fig. 4 represents the fastening in perspective, illustrating the manner of engaging the shoe-lace therewith. Fig. 5 is a view similarto Fig. 2, illustrating a modified construction, a portion'of the eyelet being broken out; Fig. 6 represents the hook of this modified fastening detached. Fig. 7 shows this modified form of fastening in cross-section, together with portions of the shoe-quarters. Fig. 8 shows another modification in which the hook appears in plan view lying over a piece of material to which it is attached and the securing-clip is shown in section. Fig. 9 is a perspective view of another modified form of embodiment of the invention, and Fig. 10 represents in perspective a securing-clip which may be employed with either of the forms of hooks shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The devices shown in Figs. 2 to 10, inclusive, are represented on an enlarged scale.

The reference-letter ain Fig. l designates the shoe-quarters, the lower portions of which are provided with the usual eyelets, with which the lacing?) is engaged. At the upper portions of these quarters rows of fastenings of myinvention are located, and each of these fastenings, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4, comprises an eyelet whose upper or outer portion is formed so as to provide a substantially rectangular crosswise opening or slot 0, and its upper or outer flange c at one side is cut away entirely, as shown at 0 sovas to provide for said slot opening out of the side of the eyelet, and the flange is also cut away on one side of the said slot, as shown at 0 The eyelet is fastened in the material of the shoe in the ordinary way by upsetting one end of its tubular portion, so as to produce the crosssectional appearance shown in Fig. 3, and in the socket of the eyelet there is a pintle or pivot-pin (Z, which extends through opposite Walls of the said socket and is centrally located in the latter. This pintle may be secured in any suitable way in the eylet or may be confined against endwise movement merely by the walls of the opening in the material in which the eyelet is secured, and said pintle constitutes a pivot for the hook with which the lacing is engaged, the hook and its pivot lying substantially in the same plane. This book is arranged to normally lie flatwise on the surface of the material to which the attaching member or eyelet is secured and in the same plane as the outer flange of the eyelet and is adapted to swing on its pivot outwardly or away from said surface to permit the insertion or removal of the lace. It consists, preferably, of an oblong portion 6 and a flat stem or tang e, shaped to conform to the slot 0 in the eyelet and occupying the same, the inner portion of said tang being bent around the pintle (I, so as to pivot thereon, or of course the pintle may turn with the tang by reason of being loosely engaged with openings in the walls of the eyelet. The hook proper, e, has an inturned end portion or toe e which is rounded and confronts an oppositely curved or rounded portion of the tang, so that a throat c is formed at this point through which the lacing is adapted to pass edgewise. It will be seen that the slot 0 in the top of the eyelet and the cut-away portion 0 accommodate the tang and a portion of the hook proper when the latter is pressed downwardly or inwardly, and hence no portion of the hook projects outwardly beyond the plane of the flange of the eyelet. Therefore when the lacing is engaged with the hooks and drawn across the meeting edges of the shoe in the ordinary way the pull exerted has a tendency to flatten the hooks against the shoe.

The lacing can be very readily engaged with the hooks when the same stand outwardly at an angle to the eyelets, as they can be readily caused to do by movement on their pivots.

In unlacin g, the hooks are naturally thrown outwardly, and they are apt to maintain that position, so that no adjustment of them is necessary in lacing; but should they not be in such position as to readily receive the lacing it is an easy matter to throw them out with the lacing. The outward movement of the hook is limited by the tang coming in contact with the rear wall of the eyelet, as illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, so that there is no possibility of the hook falling over backward.

Referring to Fig. 4, it will be seen that with the hook standing out from the eyelet the lace can be easily passed through the throat of the hook and into the latter, and when beyond the toe e and inclosed by the hook the lace can be brought back over the hook with its fiat side drawing on the latter, as shown in Fig. 1. In unlacing, the strings can be pulled through in the ordinary way and there will be no danger of stripping the metal tips, as frequently occurs when pulling shoestrings through eyelets. Of course the unlacing can be accomplished by pursuing manipulations the reverse of those pursued in lacing.

It will be seen that in addition to the advantage of having the hook lie flatly against the shoe, as it is bound to do so long as there is any pull exerted by the lacing, a flat lacing is not twisted or rolled up by engagement with the hook, but its flat side lies over the long portion of the hook, as well illustrated in Fig. 1. Moreover, by reason of theconnection of the hooks with the central portions of the eyelets there is no tendency to tilt the eyelets and press the inner portions thereof inwardly to the discomfort of the wearer or to pull their outer portions out of the material of the shoe, as so often happens with the ordinary form of rigid hook.

The neatness in appearance of the form of fastening above described will be apparent,

*as also its entire practicability. While this v7 the outer flange f of the eyelet is cut out in substantially the same way as the outer flange of the eyelet shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, and 4; but the socket of the eyelet is formed with vertical grooves in opposite side walls, as shown at f, the bases of which grooves constitute bearings for short trunnions f formed upon opposite ends of a boss f from which the stem or tang f of the hook springs, the hook proper, f being of the same form as the hook proper shown in the preceding figures. A cap 9 is applied over, the outer flange of the eyelet, this cap being crimped under said flange. and slotted to correspond therewith, but the slot being sufficiently narrow to provide for portions of saidcap extending over portions of the boss f so as to prevent the trunnions J from riding up in the slots f.

While I consider it preferable to employ the eyelet form of securing device for the hook, yet it is within the scope of my invention to employ other forms of securing means which will permit the hinged movement of the hook, and in Fig. 8 I have shown a hook in the form of a round rod or wire h bent into partlycircular form to constitute a hook proper and provided with a straight inner end portion h, constituting a pintle which is recessed to provide a reduced portion, and this reduced portion is embraced bya metallie clip comprising a tubular part 7L occupying the recess of the pintle, and clenchingtangs in which pass through the material of the shoe or garment and are bent over on the under side of the same, as illustrated in broken lines in Fig. 8. In Fig. 9 a hook something similar to that shown in Fig. 8 is illustrated, said hook being formed of a rounded wire or rod bent into partly-circular form to constitute the hook proper, 2', and reversely bent to provide a pintle portion 1', shouldered to confine the fastening device, which in this instance is a thread or cord 1' stitched through the material and embracing the pintle portion of the hook between the shouldersthereof. It will be seen that these modified constructions embody the same principle as the construction shown in Figs. 1, 2,- 3, and 4 and that the operation of lacing with these modifled forms would be substantially the same as that explained in connection with the preferred construction. 4

I am aware that it has heretofore been proposed to employ a hook extending generally in the planeof the outer flange of an eyelet (see, c. 9., Patent No. 239,926) and also one lying substantially in a plane parallel with the eyelet flange, (see, e. r., Patent No. 544,287,) such hooks, however, being rigid with the eyelet. While these constructions might accomplish the object of preventing twisting or rolling up of a flat lacing by reason of providing for engagement of the flat side of the latter with the hook, yet the difficulty of engaging and disengaging the lacing makes such constructions impracticable. Moreover, in fastenings of this description heretofore produced thereis the further objection that the strain exerted upon the hook has a tendency to press the inner portion of the eyelet inwardly and pull the outer portion of the eyelet from the material, as with the ordinary form of hook. I am also aware that there are instances in the prior art of hinged lacing-hooks employed in boots and shoes and that these hinged hooks have been employed in conjunction with eyelets, (see, c. 9., Patent No. 602542;) but in no prior patent to my knowledge has a flat hook been hinged to an eyelet or equivalent device, and such contrivances as are exhibited in said patents are impracticable in use and subject to the principal objections my invention is designed to overcome, as above stated. Compared with the prior forms of fastenings employing hinged hooks a form of fastening embodying my invention is obviously superior in the facility with which the lacing and unlacing operations can be pursued and also in the matter of relieving strain upon the eyelet tending to the discomfort of the wearer and also to the disengagement of the eyelet from the material. Moreover, my form of fastening is better adapted to accomplish the object of preventing the catching of garments and also the wearing of the surface of the fastenings by contact with the garments.

It is evident that the invention is capable of embodiment in other forms than those here shown, and hence in the appended claims the essential elements are recited without restriction to details of construction.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a laced shoe or garment, a flat lacinghook connected with the material of the shoe or garment adjacent to the edge thereof so as to be pivotally movable toward and from the surface of said material, said flat lacing-hook and its pivot lying substantially in the same plane as set forth.

2. A fastening for laced shoes or garments,

3. Afastening for laced shoes or garments,

the same comprising an eyelet for anchorage in the material of the shoe or garment, and a flat lacing-hook hin gedl y connected with said eyelet in the socket thereof so as to be movable toward and from the surface of said material, said flat lacing-hook and its pivot lying substantially in the same plane as set forth.

4. A fastening for laced shoes or garments, the same comprising an eyelet foranchorage in the material of the shoe or garment, and a flat lacing-hook having a stem or tang pivoted in the socket of the eyelet, said flat lacinghook and its pivot lying substantially in the same plane and the hook adapted to lie against the material of the shoe in the plane of the outer flange of the eyelet, substantially as de- 6. A fasteningfor laced shoes or garments,

the same comprising an eyelet having a slotted outer flange, a fiat lacing-hook having a stem or tang pivoted in the socket of the eyelet, said flat lacing-hook and its pivot lying substantially in the same plane and the hook adapted to lie against the material of the shoe in the plane of the outer flange of the eyelet, the tang occupying the slot of the latter; to-

gether with a cap applied to the eyelet-flange and correspondingly slotted, substantially as described.

7. Alacingdeviee comprising two pivota1ly= connected members, one of which is constructed for attachment to the article to be laced and the other provided with a hook arranged to normally lie fiatwise on the surface of the material to which the attaching member is secured and to swing outward or away 16 from said surface to permit the insertion or removal of the 1ace,snbstantially as described;

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. I

- HORATIO O. WHYMAN.

Witnesses:

F. T. DAVIS, CHAS. E; Rlonnori. 

